gNA$hCAR Notes
A cautionary tale at Lowe's
Take a deck of cards and shuffle it enough times and eventually even the jokers will find their way to the top. That's sort of what happened in the Caca-Cola 600 tonight. Hendrick-owned cars essentially dominated the competition until all but one of them got caught a lap down after making untimely green-flag pit stops. But then there was the one who got the benefit of the all-time record 22 cautions that juggled the pack substantially. That someone was Jimmie Johnson, who captured his third straight 600 in thrilling fashion, nipping Bobby Labonte at the finish line after a 6-lap shootout.
This was an entertaining race apart from the yellow fever that raged between laps 200 and 300. All that caution time, including the red flag following Joe Nemechek's wreck with 10 laps to go, took me right to the end of my 6-hour video tape. FOX should just start tacking on an extra hour for all its broadcasts this year. I don't think many of them haven't gone into OT. My predictions got hosed late in the race, as they always seem to. Here's how I did:
GLENN'S TEN (4-for-10. Sigh):
* Tony Stewart (winner) -- 24th, It was clear from the start that this was a mediocre-Tony night. The car seemed to forever be in the high-teens to twenties. He got caught a couple of laps down after briefly surfacing in the top 10.
* Ryan Newman -- 5th, Could we please put a little more of that black duct tape over the ugly new Alltel logo? The car did what it always does -- started out fast and faded. He suffered some front end damage that was repaired, leaving him a lap down. He eventually got back on the lead lap and raced his way forward, but the high attrition is what got him here. Still, we'll take the points.
* Jimmie Johnson -- 1st, Jimmie didn't make much noise until the final few laps. His car was in the top 10 most of the night, but the caution shuffles left him deep in the field at one point. He kept his nose clean and used that Hendrick power to muscle his way past Bobby Labonte on a thrilling last-lap pass. Did he lead more than two laps all night?
* Jeff Gordon -- 30th, For the second time in his career Jeff was done in by a crumbling track. Some of the rubber patching material they used on the track surface came up and found its way through the front grill. Before that, Jeff had a solid-looking car. He worked his way back to the front, but then got caught a lap down after a green-flag pit stop when Kasey Kahne brought out a caution. Then he suffered more terminal damage when teammate Brian Vickers caused a wreck right in front of him. DNF. Another big hit in the points.
* Kyle Busch -- 25th, The kid had a car to beat, but like Gordon he was trapped a lap down on the Kahne caution. Wound up a couple laps behind.
* Kurt Busch -- 43rd, Big Bro made brother Kyle's night look not so bad. Kurt made a solo spinout into the wall on the eighth lap, was out of action for about 150 laps, then came back and wrecked again. Another DNF for the 2004 champion.
* Greg Biffle -- 6th, Not his strongest steed, but he stayed out of trouble coming from the 29th starting spot to wind up with a good finish.
* Mark Martin -- 28th, Mark got caught up in all the shuffling and was in the wrong place when Brian Vickers caused the late pile-up. His car got torn up pretty seriously. Before that, he'd had a car capable of a top 10.
* Bobby Labonte -- 2nd, The normally mild-mannered Bobby kicked his car after the finish, he was so mad. He had good reason to be. He had to start last after a transmission change and escaped all the other incidents to find himself with the lead on the final restart. But Johnson had the stronger car, and Labonte couldn't hold him off on the final lap, losing by 6 one-thousandths of a second. Labonte had to carry the FedEx colors tonight because teammate Jason Loeffler failed to qualify. A better finish FedEx will never get with Loeffler at the wheel. (With Daytona coming up in a few weeks the clock is ticking on how long he'll be in the car. Still waiting for Ward Burton's return...)
* Jamie McMurray -- 21st, Jamie overcame a brush with the wall to crawl up to the top 10, but then he suffered other problems late in the race that left him a lap behind. The top finisher of the three Ganassi cars.
REST OF THE TOP 10:
* Carl Edwards -- 3rd, Got a bit too aggressive and nearly wrecked Dale Jarrett, who didn't appreciate it. He punctured a hole in his front grill and hurt his downforce, so pretty amazing he finished as well as he did.
* Jeremy Mayfield -- 4th, remember what I said about the jokers shuffling to the top of the deck eventually...
* Martin Truex, Jr. -- 7th, Top DEI finisher, despite an early tire problem that put him in the wall.
* Dale Jarrett -- 8th, I almost picked him. Experience definitely paid.
* Ken Schrader -- 9th, That deck got shuffled really good... A nice 50th birthday present. He led a few laps too.
* Rusty Wallace -- 10th, Might have been better, could have been worse. Ho-hum. He and his favorite teammate Newman were 1-2 at one point.
OTHER NOTABLES:
* Mike Bliss -- 15th, Not a top 10, but hey, at least he finished better than Brian Vickers. That has to feel good.
* Joe Nemechek -- 18th, Had this race in the bag until he spun out while leading.
* Brian Vickers -- 31st, I thought I'd regret not picking him when he was running up front late in the race. But youthful impatience got the better of him. He took the air off Bill Elliott's spoiler and triggered the largest wreck of the night that took out teammate Jeff Gordon among others. Vickers didn't win any friends the past two weekends at Lowe's.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- 33rd, Vickers had company in the bonehead department. Junior's car wasn't very good most of the night, but that didn't stop him from trying to bump draft on teammate Michael Waltrip. Result: Both cars in the garage. Way ta go...
* Matt Kenseth -- 37th, If it wasn't for bad luck he'd have no luck at all. Victim of another's wreck. (Earnhardt, I think.)
* Terry Labonte -- 38th, Looked stout and led a few laps. All the Hendrick cars led tonight. But alas, he was involved in the Earnhardt wreck. He took a pretty hard lick, but apparently is OK.
Next week... 400 laps around the Monster Mile of Dover.
Week 12 -- Lowe's
It seems like the gNA$hCAR season has been going on forever and yet we're only a third of the way into it with this race. The drivers will probably be feeling something like that Sunday evening as they take part in the season's longest race, the Coca-Cola 600.
There are many cool elements to the Cup series' traditional Memorial Day weekend event, not the least of which is the transition from day to night about midway through the race. And the "extra" 100 miles really separate the men from the boys, as success is determined less by how fast your car is than by how well it can endure 400 laps of high-RPM driving. For this reason alone I have to give the nod to experienced vets who know how to pace themselves and have a car to get the job done. If last week's All Star Challenge was a good indication, I think you'll see some of the same names up near the front at the end of Sunday night.
GLENN'S TEN:
* Tony Stewart (winner) -- It's time. This is Tony's type of race and his type of track. In past years he has done the "double" by racing the Indy 500 in the morning then flying to Charlotte in time for the Cup race. Too many distractions, and they hurt his finish. Not this year. He's got a fast car and is overdue for a win. The Home Depot orange looks very cool under the lights, and it looks even better in Victory Lane.
REST OF THE TOP 10 (in no particular order):
* Ryan Newman -- On the pole and without a doubt the fastest car on the track, but speed hasn't helped Ryan much here. If he doesn't blow up then he gets wrecked. I don't think he'll get wrecked this year, but I don't see him leading the pack at the checkers either.
* Jimmie Johnson -- Welcome to Johnsonville. Might as well change the name of the track in honor of the guy who very well could steal the show in this one. Needs a good run to re-establish his big points lead.
* Jeff Gordon -- 11th front row start at this track. His car was mostly mediocre in the All Star last weekend, but those notes will prove valuable.
* Kyle Busch -- It's time for Kyle to break through. This kid has a ton of talent and Hendrick power behind him. He won both the truck and Busch races here, so why not go for the triple crown on Sunday?
* Kurt Busch -- You think Kurt's gonna let little bro get all the kudos? Sibling rivalry rules, but Kurt will have to come up from deep in the field to get to the front. He'll have lots of laps to do it.
* Greg Biffle -- The Biff is knocking at the door for the points lead. Roush power will get the job done and get him a solid finish.
* Mark Martin -- Coming off a sweet victory with the All Star million in his pocket. I worry that he may have used up his good luck in that race, but I'll go with experience and quality equipment.
* Bobby Labonte -- He's starting way back in the pack so he'll need to stay out of trouble, but if he can avoid mishaps he should be able to work his way into the show.
* Jamie McMurray -- Remember when Jamie got his first Cup victory in just his second career start? It came right on this track three years ago in October. He's still looking for victory number two. Maybe he'll be nostalgic on Sunday.
Also watching: Brian Vickers (Was fast and lucky in the All Star, but he has yet to impress in a race that means anything)... Matt Kenseth (Starting third(!) and has won here before, but I fear he's got too good a starting spot. The car will crap out before the finish)... Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Slow and steady might not win the race, but if he plays the attrition game right he will be in the top 15)... Mike Bliss (The Zero is my sentimental hero. Would be nice to see him get a good finish after getting aced out of the All Star field by Vickers last weekend)... Michael Waltrip (Mikey has been doing better with Little E's former crew).
The All-Star Challenge
I don't have a lot to say about this race, as it's just an exhibition and I usually stick to predicting the points races, but I will make the call for Jimmie Johnson to win it all Saturday night. It's sort of the not-in-my-house approach to prognosticating, which is the way JJ feels about Lowe's Motor Speedway, the track that bears his sponsor's name.
Yeah, I know that Ryan Newman was the fastest in practice and qualified for the pole and wants to win real bad. Maybe he will. I wouldn't be disappointed. But I don't see it happening. Hendrick and Roush have dominated the first 11 races this season, so it only makes sense that one of those guys will win the All-Star. If not Johnson then someone who hasn't already won, so I'd pick either Kurt Busch or Greg Biffle.
As for the All-Star Open to determine which of the also-rans will compete for the million bucks, I think Kyle Busch has a decent shot. He's Hendrick-powered and showing a lot of spark of late. It's a pretty sorry field he's up against, so starting near the front should be a great help, especially if things stack up on the restart (or at the start as they did last year).
Fan vote? It can't be Kasey Kahne because he's legitimately in the field after last week's win. Ken Schrader got the nod last year. How about Kyle Petty? I'm not voting for him, but I could see him as a sentimental favorite.
This ought to be fun. I'll try to watch it live this time rather than on tape.
Raising Kahne in Richmond
OK, the monkey's finally off Kasey Kahne's back. Not only did he notch his first career Cup victory on Saturday night, but he did it in dominant fashion, leading most of the race's 400 laps over runner-up Tony Stewart. My only disappointment (or maybe one of several) is that I taped this race and made the mistake of logging on to the FOX Sports Web site before watching the tape. I wasn't looking for the winner, but there he was on the home page. Dang! Took all the suspense out of the finish, but it was fun to watch a first-time winner.
My most dire predictions came to pass, unfortunately, and it was a nasty evening for the Hendrick cars. It was sort of a nasty evening for me, as well, as I only notched four of the top 10.
GLENN'S TEN (4-for-10, thhhfffpt!):
* Ryan Newman (winner) -- 3rd, Nothing to be ashamed of here. He was in the top 5 all night and gave Tony Stewart a run for 2nd place at the end. Up to 8th in points and showing signs of the consistency he needs to have.
* Jimmie Johnson -- 40th, A woeful finish for the points leader. Jimmie spun into the inside wall on the backstretch on lap 80. It wasn't too bad, however, and it looked like a visit to the pits might get him back in the race. But as he was heading there something broke in the front wheels and the car hammered the wall again, this time hard enough to put him in the garage. Despite the points hit he's still number one.
* Tony Stewart -- 2nd, Tony's fun to watch when it's his night. But he didn't have anything for Kahne and he admitted as much. He was gracious in defeat, congratulating the winner.
* Kevin Harvick -- 5th, Harvick seems to excel on the short tracks at night. He suffered a speeding penalty late in the race that took him out of contention for the win, but this was a good recovery.
* Kurt Busch -- 17th, Probably the third strongest car in the field, but he got a lug nut hung up on the brake rotor and had to make an unscheduled stop under the green, which left him a lap down too long to get caught up, even when he did get the lap back.
* Greg Biffle -- 6th, A quiet night and look where he finishes.
* Carl Edwards -- 21st, Slipped back through the field and wound up a lap down.
* Mark Martin -- 15th, Didn't hear much from the Roush camp at the finish.
* Matt Kenseth -- 12th, Best run this team's had in a while. Just 65 points shy of making the cut for the Chase.
* Jeremy Mayfield -- 13th, Jeremy lets me down as usual, finishing outside the show.
REST OF THE TOP 10:
* Kasey Kahne -- 1st, The FOX guys say Kasey's further along in his development as a driver than Jeff Gordon was at the same point in his career. That's a scary thought, because it could mean we'll be seeing many more wins out of this young'un.
* Kyle Busch -- 4th, The rookie comes up big. Will the #5 team be respectable again soon?
* Elliott Sadler -- 7th, Knew I should have picked him.
* Bobby Labonte -- 8th, With Stewart running so well it only makes sense that his teammate should benefit. Best luck for the #18 this year.
* Michael Waltrip -- 9th, He's got Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s crew this year -- same one that put Junior in Victory Lane last spring.
* Jamie McMurray -- 10th, Could have been 5th if not for his dust-up with Kyle Busch as everyone was scrambling for position on the final restart.
OTHER NOTABLES:
* Ricky Rudd -- 11th, These guys are putting the pieces in place, little by little.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- 14th, Almost exactly where I predicted he'd finish. Falls from the top 10, but not far out.
* Rusty Wallace -- 19th, They still call him the king of the short tracks. Maybe five years ago.
* Jeff Gordon -- 39th, Broken parts, similar to Johnson's problem, sent Gordo to the garage on lap 252. I'm glad I didn't pick him, but sad he took a big hit in the standings, losing a couple of positions. He'll rebound.
Next week... The All-Star Challenge visits Lowe's for yet another Saturday night feast. No top 10 predictions from me, but I'll try to name the winner.
Week 11 -- Richmond
If I were more scientific about this thing, I would pore over the past couple of year's worth of race results to figure out who's going to win Saturday night's visit to Richmond International Raceway. But sometimes I like to go with gut instincts, and this week my gut tells me that it's not good to be a Chevy guy.
I don't like feeling like this, because it spells bad news for some of my favorite drivers. It also means that we could see more of a shakeup in the points, given that most of the halfway decent drivers this year are riding Chevys or Fords, and Ford has been pretty conistent so far (as far as the Roush teammates go.) It always makes me nervous when I make most of my picks from the first five rows, but this seems to be one of those weeks...
GLENN'S TEN:
* Ryan Newman (winner) -- Let's see if we can get it right this week. Ryan missed the pole (2nd), which usually bodes well for a good finish. He runs a Dodge rather than a Chevy. He's won here before. He got rooked out of a victory last week. And most important... he has to use a backup car Saturday, which means the great qualifying effort is all for naught and he'll start from the back of the pack. Ryan loves a challenge. So do I. If he stays out of trouble he'll be popping the champagne cork Saturday night.
REST OF THE TOP 10 (in no particular order):
* Jimmie Johnson -- He's in a Chevy, but he's the points leader for a reason.
* Tony Stewart -- OK, another Chevy guy, but he's a former winner here and has the talent to get the job doen under the lights. And he's starting third.
* Kevin Harvick -- Yeah, yeah, I know... I worry greatly about this pick, but Harvick under the lights on a short track is always a potent combo.
* Kurt Busch -- Talk about potent forces on the short tracks. Kurt will bounce back from what arguably was the worst race of his career at Darlington last week.
* Greg Biffle -- The Biff is da bomb. Starts 9th, could finish first.
* Carl Edwards -- Why not? He won here Friday night.
* Mark Martin -- All Roush, all the time...
* Matt Kenseth -- All five of the Roushketeers in the show? I worry most about Matt, who is making up for his trouble-free championship season of 2003.
* Jeremy Mayfield -- Won here in September, arguably in a race he basically had to win to get into his disastrous Chase for the Cup. He's stunk ever since, but perhaps he'll be able to use his notes from the big win.
And what about... Rusty Wallace? (Winningest record on short tracks among active drivers, but trouble always seems to find him.)... Elliott Sadler? (Doesn't like this track, but almost won the Busch race Friday, and ran well here in September.)... Kasey Kahne? (On the pole, but that's almost certain doom.)... Dale Earnhardt Jr.? (I wanted to pick him. He might run top 15, but I don't like him from 27th on the grid.)... Jeff Gordon? (I've got a verrrrry bad feeling about this race. Don't get him anywhere near Kurt Busch. And oh yeah, he's driving a Chevy.)
Another win for Roush
Darlington has a penchant for memorable finishes. Who will soon forget Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch dueling to the finish line two years ago? Or Jimmie Johnson capitalizing on others' misfortune to grab the win last year? Another chapter was written here Saturday night, when the race came down to a two-lap shootout with a bunch of cars on different tire strategies.
But Darlington is definitely a tire sort of track, so the guys who took none on the final caution were at a definite disadvantage. Among them was the leader, Ryan Newman. The only guy who is more disappointed with Greg Biffle taking the checkers is Newman, who didn't stand a ghost's chance in you-know-where to preserve what should have been an easy win.
All in all this was an entertaining race, and my final score card doesn't look too bad...
GLENN'S TEN (6 for 10... Pretty good.)
* Ryan Newman (winner) -- 5th, Ryan was a victim of circumstance, plain and simple. You really can't fault him for going from first to fifth on the final two laps. Had he pitted, he would have found himself at the tail end of the lead lap cars. Doing what he did and staying out meant that everyone else came in for fresh tires. Game over. The #12 looked good all night, perhaps the best run he's had since winning at Dover last September. These are the consistent runs he needs more of if he hopes to be a threat for the Cup. I'll blame this finish on Mark Martin, who spun out digging for position with about four to go.
* Jimmie Johnson -- 7th, What did in Jimmie's chances of a third straight win at the "track too tough to tame" was loose lug nuts. He had to short pit under green and overcome a lap-and-a-half deficit. His car was very good, so this finish isn't too surprising.
* Jeff Gordon -- 2nd, A guy who benefitted from the final caution. Gordon had been fading on the long runs, but on fresh tires he looked awesome all night. He easily blew by everyone on the final restart, but he didn't have enough time to catch Biffle, who got a big jump.
* Kurt Busch -- 37th, Oops. Mr. Mouth didn't get past the first lap before spinning into the inside retaining wall. Replay looks like Gordon might have "helped" him in that direction, although none of the FOX commentators pursued that angle. Later, Busch got into trouble for not following directions from gNA$hCAR officials and was summoned to the office after the race.
* Matt Kenseth -- 26th, Matt got a lap down and never made it up. His fate was sealed when he pitted under green just before a caution flew, which trapped him two laps down.
* Jamie McMurray -- 6th, Hung around the teens most of the race and kept himself in position for a good finish with all the jockeying for position on the final two laps.
* Greg Biffle -- 1st, When it's your year you just know it. I think the Biffster is filching from Kenseth's luck bank. He led the most laps, but there was no way he was going to overcome Newman's 3.5 second lead with four to go without a caution. You think maybe Martin is just a little pleased with himself for spinning out when he did, helping his teammate to Victory Lane? Third victory of the season puts pressure on Gordon to win number four...
* Sterling Marlin -- 41st, See what I get for going with a guy who finds bad luck? Sterling was in the top 10 until he dropped a cylinder and eventually had to retire from the race. Next year he'll probably retire from the sport.
* Dale Jarrett -- 15th, DJ hasn't been lighting 'em up, but he has been getting decent finishes in the teens that have kept him in the top 10. His car was average all night, but here's what average gets you if you don't hit the wall.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- 8th, What did I tell you? Started 39th and wound up with another top 10. Just wait till this team gels later in the season.
REST OF THE TOP 10:
* Kasey Kahne -- 3rd, I'm proud of this kid, except for the moment late in the race where he almost wrecked himself and Jeff Gordon trying to race two-wide out of a corner. Evernham's cars seem to lack the ability to close strong, which I think is why the Gordons and Biffles have been winning all the races. I'm sort of glad he didn't finish second, lest it give the FOX guys an invitation to talk about his
eight second-place finishes without a win.
* Mark Martin -- 4th, Pretty nifty to spin out running fourth with your teammate running second and after the caution still finish fourth with your guy getting the win. Don't think he planned it that way, but that's sometimes how it goes. Nice showing for Mark in his final Darlington race.
* Carl Edwards -- 9th, Overcame a slow start to be in contention for the win in the shootout. Unfortunately, Carl got a bit over eager and spun it across the line.
* Tony Stewart -- 10th, Wish I'd picked him. He just rope-a-doped his way into the show.
OTHER NOTABLES:
* Kevin Harvick -- 14th, Got wrecked coming to the checkered flag.
* Ken Schrader -- 18th, Became a factor when he stayed out on old tires for the final two laps. Bad strategy. Went from second to this. Ugh.
* Jeff Burton -- 21st, Robbed of a top 10 finish by a tire vibration late in the race.
* Kyle Busch -- 23rd, The FOX guys were blathering on about how impressive a run the #5 had turned in, running up in the top 5 much of the night, when he cut a right front and mashed the wall. Think they just jinxed him.
* Jeff Green and Michael Waltrip -- They probably won't be sending each other Christmas presents this year. Green turned Waltrip into the wall on lap 7. A stunned Mikey was interviewed in the garage saying his mother taught him not to say anything when he had nothing nice to say about someone. He let his car do the talking instead, playing bumper tag with Green the rest of the night until gNA$hCAR parked him for a lap or two. Green winds up 22nd while Mikey finishes a forgettable 34th.
Next week... More of this Saturday night racing thing as we head to Richmond.
Week 10 -- Darlington
As much as I enjoy night races, I'm starting to grow weary of all the
action we're starting to see under the lights in gNA$hCAR this season.
Darlington traditionally has always been a day track, but thanks to
schedule shuffling last season and the loss of the fall race here,
promoters had to do something to reward fan loyalty. So they put in
lights and moved the spring race to twilight on a Saturday.
That, the new impound rule, and the fact that the drivers only get to
race here once a year now (unless they run the Busch race) could make
for some surprises on race night.
GLENN'S TEN
* Ryan Newman (winner) -- I'm going to go out on a limb here, but maybe
not too much of one. Ryan is due for a win, and because he failed to win
the pole on Friday I think that improves his chances. Go figure. He has
run well here in the past, but got bitten by bad luck that took him out
of contention. His luck has to change eventually. And he's got one of
the spiffy new Dodge Chargers, and this just happens to be the Dodge
Charger 500, so what more fitting place to win for the sponsor? Plus, he
fell out of the top 10 last week and needs to get back on his game
quickly or he may face Championship Chase oblivion.
REST OF THE TOP 10 (in no particular order):
* Jimmie Johnson -- Talk in the garage is that Jimmie's making enemies
with some of the on-track incidents he's been involved with this season,
but he is the two-time defending race winner here.
* Jeff Gordon -- Mr. Darlington might not be dominant under the lights.
He qualified 14th. Still, look for him to be somewhere in the show.
* Kurt Busch -- Roush drivers showing their stuff this season, so why
not here? Busch is king of the short tracks under the lights, but can he
dance with the Lady in Black?
* Matt Kenseth -- Roushketeer who won Friday night's Busch race and
needs some good finishes. Starts 31st, a little further back than his
comfort zone.
* Jamie McMurray -- A Dodge. Probably one of the best in the field.
* Greg Biffle -- I'm thinking that his success so far this season might
not be a fluke, but his crash near the end of Talladega last week was.
He'll bounce back.
* Sterling Marlin -- Has always run well here. Ran the Busch race on
Friday, which will give him a slight advantage over those coming in
cold.
* Dale Jarrett -- Experience pays. I keep waiting for Dale to break out
and get some good finishes to go with his return to the top 10 in
points.
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- At least one Dale is showing his mettle. He just
clawed his way back into the top 10 despite his late-lap crash last
weekend. The rebound continues Saturday night.
Also watching: ... Kasey Kahne (pole-sitter could break out here, or
break down. I'm guessing he may do the latter)... Carl Edwards (He's
been fading, but he has the Roush magic behind him)... Tony Stewart (You
never know what Smoke will do in the dark)... Kevin Harvick (Likewise.)
The Force was with him
I should have known I was in big-time trouble with my picks when less than 10 laps from the finish I had seven of my remaining eight drivers in the top 10. I had dodged the Big One that wrecked 25 cars, losing just two of my drivers. I was on the verge of my best race prognostication in weeks. And then Talladega's penchant for the big wreck reared up for the second time in the same race and bit me. In what I call "The Little One," four or my cars tangled and spoiled an excellent day, not to mention thinned the field of contenders for the win.
When it came down to it, no one had anything for Jeff Gordon, who scored his fourth restrictor plate win in the last five attempts. I think they're gonna have to start calling Gordo "Mr. Restrictor" from now on.
GLENN'S TEN (4-for-10... Drat!):
* Dale Earnhardt Jr. (winner) -- 15th, The crowd went wild when Junior pulled around Gordon mid-race and led a few laps. He overcame the poor qualifying effort to hang out with the leaders most of the race, and factored into the Big One on lap 132 when he assisted Mike Wallace in wiping out in front of half the field. But Junior unfortunately was one of the cars that tangled in the lap 186 crash that spoiled my day.
* Jeff Gordon -- 1st, Jeff dominated this race from flag to flag. The green-white-checker finish gave lesser cars a chance to catch him, but with Yoda on the hood of his Pepsi machine, how could he lose?
* Jimmie Johnson -- 20th, A victim of the Little One. He took a hard lick on the inside retaining wall and was done for the day. The poor finish helped a lot of guys struggling in the points race, but he's still the leader by 230 over Kurt Busch.
* Greg Biffle -- 13th, Caught up in the Little One. Had been nowhere most of the day, going down a lap at one point, but was running up front after the Big One, thanks to the high attrition.
* Kurt Busch -- 7th, Defending champ has a decent day.
* Kevin Harvick -- 12th, He didn't run like the pole sitter for most of the day, suffering overheating problems early. But once that got cleared up, Kevin was at the point a couple of times. But he couldn't escape the Little One.
* Tony Stewart -- 2nd, This seems to be Tony's preferred finishing spot at the restrictor tracks. He had a shot at Gordon on the final lap, but the #24 was the class of the field and threw the blocks when he needed to give them.
* Mark Martin -- 33rd, One of my two drivers who got caught up in the Big One. He'd had a top 10 sort of car before that.
* Joe Nemechek -- 31st, A horrible weekend for "Front Row" Joe -- wrecked in the Busch race Saturday and then again in Sunday's Big One.
* Michael Waltrip -- 3rd, I had my DEI picks backward. Mikey (who runs these days with Junior's former crew) got to the front of the pack before the final caution, but Gordon passed him right back a lap or two later. He helped push Stewart past Jamie McMurray and Elliott Sadler during the final two laps. (At least I picked the top three!)
REST OF THE TOP 10:
* Jeremy Mayfield -- 4th, Shows what keeping your nose clean at the big tracks can do.
* Jamie McMurray -- 5th, Looked like he might make a run at Gordon on the final restart, but he made his move too early and allowed Stewart and Waltrip to get underneath him, then he got hung out to dry.
* Elliott Sadler -- 6th, Picked McMurray as his drafting partner on the final restart. Big mistake. Went from third to this.
* Ken Schrader -- 8th!, Shows you what kind of a day it was. But Schrader knows how to drive at the restrictor tracks when he doesn't get caught in the big wreck.
* Dale Jarrett -- 9th, Another guy who kept out of trouble and got a good finish, despite a pair of pit road speeding penalties. Jumps six spots to seventh place in the points standings.
* Jeff Burton -- 10th, Bested all the RCR entries. Burton is getting better.
OTHER NOTABLES:
* Matt Kenseth, 11th -- This team needed the good finish big time, but still 93 points beyond making the cut for the Chase for the Championship.
* Casey Mears -- 14th, First car a lap down.
* Martin Truex Jr. -- 21st, This kid's got a future in Cup. He won the Busch race here Saturday, but was robbed of a potential top 5 Sunday when he was caught up in the Little One. With the #1 out there running well, it looked like the good old days of DEI when they regularly fielded a competitive third team.
* Bobby Labonte -- 23rd, Bobby avoided the Big One. But the "Hard Luck Kid" couldn't avoid engine failure.
* Ryan Newman -- 39th, *Sigh* Once again a crash not of his making, but one of the few victims of the Big One who couldn't get going again long enough to preserve any points.
Next week... The death of tradition continues: Darlington in the dark on a Saturday.
